Medical Ongoing: £102million striker is currently undergoing medical to seal Arsenal move
If Arsenal needed any more motivation to get over the finishing line next season, Tottenham Hotspur have just provided them with it.
With second place in the Premier League now practically secured, the board and new Sporting Director Andrea Berta can turn their attention to the summer transfer window and the hunt for a new striker.
Two of the strikers most heavily linked with a move to the Emirates over the last few months have been Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, although, with the former lacking experience in a top-five league and the latter potentially costing upwards of £150m, other options have also been floated.
In fact, if recent reports are to be believed, Mikel Arteta and Co are now interested in an ideal Gyokeres alternative who has won comparisons to the Toon star.
Arsenal’s striker search
Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth going over some of the other strikers who have been linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, like Benjamin Sesko and Liam Delap.
The former has enjoyed another impressive season with RB Leipzig, scoring 21 goals and providing six assists in 45 games, although such a rate of return has reportedly seen his release clause increase to around £75m.
Delap, on the other hand, has a release clause worth just £30m in his current contract, although, with 12 goals and two assists to his name in 36 Premier League games this season, he’d represent more of a gamble.
Moreover, if Arteta and Co really want someone who’d be a genuine alternative to Gyokeres, they’d have to be a proven goalscorer, such as Julián Alvarez.
According to a recent report from journalist Matías Palacios via the Spanish football program El Chiringuito, Arsenal are one of several teams very interested in the Atletico Madrid star.
In fact, the journalist claims that the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Liverpool all “want” the Argentine this summer and that “meetings with the interested clubs will begin” next week.
A potential price tag for the striker is not mentioned, but as he cost the La Liga giants around £82m only last summer, we wouldn’t be surprised to see his valuation hit nine figures, especially as the CIES Football Observatory price him at €125m, which is about £105m.
With that said, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Alvarez, as not only could he be an ideal alternative to Gyokeres, but he’s also won comparisons to Isak.
How Alvarez compares Isak
So, before we look at some of the other reasons Arsenal should be looking to sign Alvarez this summer, we should examine this comparison to Isak and where it comes from.
Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which compared players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, and concluded that the Swede is the tenth most similar forward to the Argentine across the last 365 days.
We can better understand their similarities by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which they rank closely, including, but not limited to, expected assisted goals, progressive carries, shots on target and goals per shot, key passes, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.
On top of the clear statistical similarities, the former Manchester City star has also scored a similar number of goals as the Newcastle ace this season.
For example, in 53 appearances, the “world-class” forward, as dubbed by City content creator It’s LB, has scored 29 goals and provided six assists.
In comparison, the former Real Sociedad star has scored 27 goals and provided six assists in 41 games for the Magpies this term.
Finally, on top of the goals and similarities to one of the best strikers in the world, the Gunners should seriously consider signing Alveraz because he’s a proven winner, having won the treble with City in the 22/23 season.
Therefore, whatever it costs, Arsenal should look to bring the World Cup winner to N5 this summer, even if that means not signing Gyokeres.
